Last Sunday night’s Mass at SHU’s Chapel of the Holy Spirit was dedicated to Nelson. The event was attended by thousands of students, faculty and staff.

The service at SHU was followed by an impromptu candlelight vigil as community members consoled one another and offered prayers for her and her family and friends.

Nelson, a lifelong resident of Clark, N.J., was born May 3, 1996, in Summit, N.J. Her parents are Rosanne (Iuzzolino) Nelson and the late James A. Nelson, a Port Authority policeman who died in the Sept. 11, 2001, terror attacks on the World Trade Center.

At SHU, Nelson was studying social work and was a member of the Kappa Delta Sorority, where she served as vice president of community service.

Nelson was also a member of Camp Sea Stars North and the Resiliency Center of Newtown.

At St. Helen's Church, she was a peer minister and a participant in the Catholic Heart Work Camp and Sr. Pat's Kids Camp.

"Caitlin gave in every aspect of her life, including donating her organs as a final act of giving," the obituary said.

She is survived by her devoted mother, Rosanne Nelson and her friend, John Fitzgerald; and her sister, Anne Catherine Vetri and her husband Frank.

She was predeceased by her father, James A. Nelson; her maternal grandparents, George and Anna Iuzzolino; and her paternal grandparents, Robert and Catherine Nelson.

In lieu of flowers, memorial donations may be made to two organizations where she volunteered: